Sweeney was not killed by Toby on that fateful night, but Nellie lies in ashes at the bottom of her oven. A mysterious voice revives her and gives her the chance for revenge on Todd as a ghost only he can see.

Sweeney looked with a sort of perverse pleasure at the grey smoke that was the only remains of his landlady. He reveled in the pure joy of a kill for a moment, before he remembered the reason he'd killed Nellie Lovett in the first place. His dark, haunted eyes wandered over to his wife's still form, dead by his own hand, and his first tear since his rebirth as Sweeney Todd wriggled down his cheek.

He cradled Lucy's head in his arms, the deep cut across her neck glaring at him like a reproach. His tears fell onto her face until it looked like the dead woman was crying herself. Oh, if only she could...

But look on the bright side, he told himself, although that's not your strong point. Nellie is dead. She won't ever chatter incessantly or sneak a kiss or look at you with that idiotic doe-eyed look ever again. A smile graced the demon barber's lips as he laid Lucy tenderly on the stone floor and meandered back up to his barber shop, tucking his dead wife into that little box in his mind where all terrible things were locked away.

But what would he tell Nellie's many friends? Oh, God,please don't tell me I'll actually have to pretend to grieve for that liar!, he thought, but it seemed the only way not to arouse suspicion. And what would he do with his victims? Clearly he had not thought this plan through.

Nellie

The agony surging through Nellie by the flames slowly faded from her body and anger took its place. How dare he! After all she's done for him, after cutting up his bloody customers and baking them into pies to hide his crimes, after making his dinners and yes, even loving him, how could he just throw her into an oven?! She was seething so furiously that it took her a few minutes to even figure out that it was kinda strange for her to be thinking at all. Shouldn't she be dead by now?

"Ah yes, you should and you arrrre," hissed a sibilant voice, one that was vaguely familiar in a distorted sort of way. Certainly there had never been a human voice like this. Nellie tried to see through the blank darkness fruitlessly for the source of the voice. "But you are going to have a chanccce... To give Mister Sweeney Todd his" -there was an evil chuckle- "shall we say...rewarrrd? He has done you a great wrong, Nellie Lovett, and you are going to make him pay." Nellie was delighted. Her love for Sweeney seemed to, for once, have been put away.

"But how? I'm dead," she said matter-of-factly. "What, 'm I gonna be a ghost or somethin'?"

"That's exactly it," said the voice, "and feel free to do whatever you please. You will only be seen by him."

The darkness dissolved, the basement walls taking its place. Nellie got up from her perch on the edge of the oven, brushed her dress off briskly, and strode upstairs. Sweeney thought he knew about revenge? He had no idea.

I am a stupidhead. I accidentally uploaded the whole freaking story last time. Sorry 'bout that. So here's JUST the prologue. :D

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.